Funding worth £9m allocated for summer 2019 holiday clubs

Charities and community groups are being invited to bid for funding to run holiday clubs for disadvantaged pupils this summer.

The aim of the holiday clubs is to provide poor pupils with free meals and activities during the long summer break and the government has opened a £9 million funding pot.

Last summer a £2 million programme saw groups providing meals and activities such as football, play sessions, and cooking lessons. Around 18,000 young people are estimated to have taken part.

Among the charities granted funding in 2018 were StreetGames, which brings sport to disadvantaged children, and OnSide Youth Zones, which runs a network of clubs for young people to socialise, take part in enriching activities and learn new skills.

There will be local co-ordinators for the funding whose role it is to ensure there are enough high-quality clubs in their area, working with providers to improve what is on offer, and raising awareness of what is available for the families who need it most.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, praised the DfE for “recognising the problem of holiday hunger”. He continued: “According to the Children’s Society, four million children in the UK go hungry during school holidays. Our own research shows that schools contribute more than £43 million each year to help struggling families with the basics.

“School leaders are seeing more and more hard-working families struggling, and more children living in poverty. We would urge the government to look at the causes of this, as well as trying to provide emergency support.”

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, added: “While this money is welcome it will not resolve the huge problems that poverty brings to children and young people’s lives and education. Nor should this money be allocated on a lottery basis – if a school needs money to support its pupils, it should receive it.”

The bidding process for the summer 2019 holiday clubs will close on February 7. Organisations can bid for funding by visiting the government’s Contracts Finder website at http://bit.ly/2R9UvCp

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